DOG KIND. 53 



M* Buffbn asserts, that the tip of the tail in all 

 foxes is white, which, however, is not so in those 

 of this country. There are only three varieties of 

 this animal in Great Britain, and these are rather 

 established upon a difference of size than of co- 

 lour or form. The greyhound fox is the largest, 

 tallest, and boldest; and will attack a grown 

 sheep. The mastiff fox is less, but more strongly 

 built. The cur fox is the least and most com- 

 mon ; he lurks about hedges and out-houses, and 

 is the most pernicious of the three to the peasant 

 and the farmer. 



In the colder countries round the pole, the 

 foxes are of all colours ; black, blue, grey, iron- 

 grey, silver-grey, white, white with red legs, 

 white with black heads, white with the tip of the 

 tail black, red with the throat and belly entirely 

 white, and lastly with a stripe of black running 

 along the back, and another crossing it at the 

 shoulders.* The common kind, however^ is 

 more universally diffused than any of the former, 

 being found in Europe, in the temperate climates 

 of Asia, and also in America ; they a're very rare 

 in Africa, and in the countries lying under the 

 torrid zone. Those travellers who talk of having 

 seen them at Calicut, and other parts of Southern 

 India, have mistaken the jackall for the fox. 

 The fur of the white fox is held in no great esti- 

 mation, because the hair falls off j the blue fox 

 skins afce bought up with great avidity, from 

 their scarceness ; but the black fox skin is of all 



* Buffon, Renard. 



